Unlocking the benefits of equity release
WE covered some of the mis-selling practices of equity release last week. Let’s look at where the possibilities lie. For some, equity release is a great idea, for a salesman looking for a commission, it can be ‘made’ into a good idea. Over the next couple of weeks, I’ll give you a good run down […]
Equity release – the dangers of mis-selling
OVER the last few weeks, I’ve covered much of the lending and debt market and how to manage it ethically and effectively. And now to another area of lending – equity release. In June last year, the Financial Conduct Authority laid out its concerns for customers who may be susceptible to buying unsuitable equity release […]
Taking Care To Save
There is a treasure trove of over £10 billion in the UK just sitting there waiting for us to claim it. That is the amount is in dormant bank accounts, forgotten pensions, unclaimed inheritances and investments and even over payments to energy companies. The unclaimed sums are quite staggering – £41m in premium bonds, £153m […]
Computer Age
It is not up there with Einstein’s “Theory of Relativity”, but there is a property equation that is becoming increasingly puzzling and baffling! We are all living longer, yet the “House Years” – the window in which we can obtain a run-of-the mill average mortgage – seem to be diminishing! The average age for first-time […]
Stress Testing!
Finally – and fortunately – we have confirmation that our obsession with property ownership has gone too far. Forget the madness of £140m price tags on London flats, 30% annual increases, sealed bids way over the asking price or the successful buyer paying estates agents “finders’ fees” as well as the seller. None of the […]
The Perfect Storm
Fancy A Cambridge first-class honours degree? Cut down on the partying, work hard and it’s within your grasp. Anything over 70% gets the job done. What about the most nerve-wracking moment of adolescence? Not that. The driving test on which hangs the freedom of the road. You can make up to 15 driving faults – […]
Independent Mortgage Broker
Is an independent mortgage broker the best person to help me get my mortgage, or am I better using the high street banks? There are a few ‘varieties’ of an independent mortgage broker and over the last few years their advantages and uses have altered considerably. An independent mortgage broker should look at all the […]
Mortgage market is looking healthy according to Cornish financial planning firm
A Cornish financial advice firm has been pleasantly surprised to see an increase in the number of people taking out mortgages. The national picture is very different to the one Worldwide Financial Planning has seen, which shows a clear improvement from 2009 to 2010. Many of the transactions that took place were remortgages or refinancing […]
New Year’s Financial Resolutions
New Year’s resolutions. They probably take 5 days on average to break. It’s probably because they are made with a bloated stomach and zero blood in your alcohol stream, but with little real drive or belief for the actual benefit at the end. If a real benefit was that you worked for four days and […]
Securing business finance to weather the financial storm
Business finance has never been in the news more than it is now and justifiably so.
Looking back looking forward. 2008 – 2009
What a great year that was! Will ’09 be any better or will we be wise after the event again? In many ways ’08 was no surprise, but for reasons most won’t have noticed. Noise was the biggest culprit, with everyone believing global demand was soaring. I didn’t believe that as this column explained a […]
Current interest rates to stick…for now
As we approach the next monetary policy committee (MPC) meeting there is no doubt that concerns will be raised as to the future of interest rates as I laid out in my article a couple of weeks back. I don’t believe they will raise rates now and it’s likely they will allow the current rate rises to have their impact on the spending patterns of the consumer, before making the decision to increase. Keep a close eye on the inflation data coming through over the next few months.